The First Generation
by littlepocky
Summary: During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sakura is blasted by Kaguya's chakra. When she wakes up, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of the Warring States Period. Sakura thinks things can't get any worse when Senju Tobirama is keen on finding everything out about her, until a familiar face from her original timeline appears... except is it as a friend, or a foe? [SasuSaku]
1. Senju Sakura

All Sakura Haruno ever wanted since the beginning of the war was to wake up as a twelve-year-old again, in the bed of her childhood home. Back when all she had to worry about was the length and condition of her hair. Back when her biggest problem was studying for her final written exam in order to graduate the Academy. Back when she spent her days dreaming of a sweet romance and eating sweet dango along with it.

She hadn't gotten a good night's worth of sleep in _months_.

Yet why did her body stir in such a nice, warm and pleasurable puff of blankets? Her body protested and her muscles screamed, but she forced herself to carefully open her eyes. Her gaze met with a tatami ground. She was laying on a white futon.

Suddenly, her memories hit her and she frantically shot up and looked around. She was wearing a simple white cotton kimono.

Where was the Kaguya? Why wasn't she on the battlefield?

Sakura had been fighting the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya alongside Naruto and Sasuke. Just before the two boys were able to execute a teamwork of jutsu on her, the frightful goddess had gathered up an inexplicable amount of vile chakra and unleashed it. Although Naruto and Sasuke had the means to get out of the way, Sakura, unfortunately, had been in the direct line of attack and took the attack head on.

That was the last memory she could recollect. So how had she ended up here? Her room suggested that she was currently in a traditionally styled home. From her place on the futon, she could see a wall of shoji doors, opened to a wood-floored hallway outlining the complex and a view of a forest in the back. The brightness of the sun, greenness of the trees, and the fresh pine-scented breeze suggested a spring afternoon. Sakura's brows furrowed. It had been October when she and the others fought Obito, Madara, the Ten-Tails, and Kaguya.

The shoji door from the opposite end of the room swiftly slid open and a young man stepped into the room. Sakura immediately recognized his face from the war.

Except that this Senju Hashirama was much younger and very much more alive than the resurrected First Hokage she saw on the battlefield. She blanched.

"Ah, I see that you are awake! Thank goodness."

Everything about him was so real, from his weary eyes to the silkiness of his long, dark hair... Sakura digressed. Hashirama set down the small tray holding a cup of traditional green tea and knelt beside her.

"Tobirama insisted that you might be an Uchiha spy and kept proposing to kill you right when we found your body while we were searching the area after the battle. But, I persuaded him give you the benefit of the doubt. Our clan is quite big, you see. If you happened to be one of our members or a member from one of our alliances and we just killed you off, that would have put us in a difficult position. Especially since we don't often see women on the battlefield, you must have been well-known as a warrior where you came from. You were quite beat up; nearly dead and barely breathing. You don't seem that much younger than we are, though, and if anything I was hoping we could be on friendly terms with one another."

Sakura suddenly felt very thankful for this man and noted in the back of her mind to be careful of Senju Tobirama, the future Second Hokage. It seemed like he didn't take to the idea of keeping her alive.

"I'm not an Uchiha," she said, a little too quickly. Hashirama surveyed her thoughtfully.

"Mind me asking how old you are?"

"Seventeen." At least, she had been seventeen before waking up in this strange place.

"Well, at least you are compliant in answering questions. I trust that you are not an enemy, but I don't know if the other clan members will. What is your name?"

"... Sakura."

"Family name?"

"I, uh, it's just Sakura."

"You're not part of a clan?"

"I-I was just assisting the Senju in the most recent battle! I'm also not on very good terms with the Uchiha at the moment," Sakura fabricated. She decided to not deviate too far from the truth in order to keep up with the lies she had to tell in order to prevent the fact that she was actually not of this time from coming to light.

"Where are you from?" Hashirama continued.

"Ko—" Sakura stopped herself. If the Senju and Uchiha were still fighting each other, didn't that mean that Konoha didn't even exist yet?

"Ko?" Hashirama pressed. Sakura gulped.

"Corner," she amended, "a corner of the Land of Fire. I'm from a small village that the Uchiha destroyed." During her days in the Academy, Sakura had read in her history textbooks that before the Shinobi villages had been established, shinobi clans had often offered their services to the highest-paying lords. This more often than not included the destruction of many villages so that these lords could gain more land and influence.

"I see, which must be why you decided to help us in our recent battle," Hashirama nodded in understanding. "Any family or friends?"

"None who are alive." _Yet_.

"So you don't have anywhere to return to?"

"No," Sakura admitted.

"Alright. Excuse me for a moment while I go consult with the head of the clan." Hashirama gracefully rose from his position and stepped out of the room, sliding the door closed behind him.

"What is this place?!" Sakura cried in frustration. She signed the tiger seal and aggressively whispered, " _Kai_!" Nothing happened. She did it again.

" _Kai_! _Kai_! _Kai!_ " And everything remained unchanged.

If disrupting her chakra flow wouldn't get her out of this genjutsu, pain might.

Looking a round the room Sakura spotted her battered navy clothes folded neatly in a corner. Her chuunin flak jacket must have disintegrated from Kaguya's attack. Her weapons pouch, however, was nowhere to be found. It made sense, really. If they thought she was the enemy, there would be no way any weapons would be kept within her vicinity. As a last resort, Sakura bit her thumb. Blood gushed out of the wound and spattered on the pristine sheets. she winced in pain, but the genjutsu didn't release.

 _Maybe this isn't a genjutsu_. Sakura felt panic rise at the base of her throat.

"No. No..."

" _You._ " Her head shot up and a sneering Senju Tobirama was standing at the doorway. For the second time today, she was speechless as she faced yet again _another_ legend. She hadn't even heard the door open! He stalked to her place in the room and snatched her by the collar. Up close, Sakura could see that the Tobirama of this time was around her age. His white hair and light red markings on his face in addition to his unnaturally red eyes were intimidating, and Sakura couldn't help but flinch as he snarled.

"You might have my brother on your side, but don't think that I don't know what you're doing, _Uchiha_. Just know that I can kill you at any moment, but I'm choosing not to until you divulge your clan's secret with us because I _know_ you're hiding something. So don't even think about killing yourself until you either spill or can prove that you are one of us!"

Sakura was about to give him a piece of her mind for making assumptions about her but was interrupted by a new voice.

"Tobirama!" The two turned their heads to the door and an older, aged man stepped in with Hashirama following behind him. The two looked similar. Sakura could guess that this man was their father. Senju Butsuma, she recalled from her history textbooks.

"Leave her at once." His wise voice was stern and reprimanding. Slowly, Tobirama's grip on her kimono slackened, and he looked a little bit ashamed of being yelled at by his father. Sakura shoved him away for good measure and left a bloody print on his blue shirt. He looked appalled. She straightened her collar with great force and a huff and shot him a glare. He returned to his father's side and next to Hashirama.

The older man knelt beside her, tucking his plain brown kimono under his knees. His sons did the same.

Butsuma stared impassively at Sakura with his beady black eyes, frown lines and wrinkles prominent from constant stress and weariness.

"I understand that you have no home to return to."

Sakura didn't know what to say so she gave a small nod.

"What skills will you be able to offer my clan?"

Sakura tilted her head in question. She didn't like where this was headed. Tobirama also seemed to understand where his father was getting at and interrupted.

"Father you can't possibly be saying—" But stopped speaking out of line with one look from the older male.

"I am a healer," Sakura offered in a small voice.

Butsuma nodded and closed his eyes to think for a moment.

Coming to a decision, he opened them and looked directly at her.

"From now on, you will be known as Senju Sakura."

All Sakura Haruno ever wanted since the beginning of the war was to wake up as a twelve-year-old again. If given a second chance, she could have changed things for the better. She could have prevented Sasuke from leaving Konoha. She could have saved lost lives. She could have even proven her worth as a kunoichi earlier than she had before.

Fate must have taken her wish a little far. Too far.

Sakura had no idea what to do.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thus starts an epic tale for Sakura... How will she be able to gain Tobirama's trust yet keep him off her case?


	2. Uchiha Sasuke

Disclaimer Note: Most of this chapter was shamelessly transcribed from Naruto and Sasuke's Final Fight at the Valley of the End. Sasuke's confusing-as-hell "I'll Become the Darkness Monologue" and the subsequent fight sequence is basically a written version of episodes 476 and 477 (except for the small snippets when Naruto talks about Sakura's death because obviously she didn't die in the actual anime lol). Retelling Naruto and Sasuke's last battle is extremely necessary for Sasuke's character development for when he travels to the past.

* * *

The wind billowed, emitting a low and soft whistle as it whisked through the rift between the statues of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. Half of the Valley of the End was now submerged deep in water, as the waterfall in between the aforementioned statues pounded down into the pool with great force, generating huge wafts of mist and creating a deafening _woosh_ in the background.

Naruto and Sasuke stood, each on an effigy opposite from each other, intensely facing off in the middle of a gloomy, grey twilight. A few stray leaves flew with the wind, and Sasuke lightly snatched one out of the air with his thumb and index finger. Letting it fall into his palm, he gazed at it and what it represented.

A leaf. Konoha.

"My explanation of what it means to be Hokage represents my response."

Naruto wordlessly waited, letting Sasuke continue.

"Itachi's way of life led me to this answer. To protect the Land of Fire and Konoha, he sacrificed both his clan and himself. At first, I needed to understand why. Just what was this Land and village that he would go so far to protect? All of the previous Hokage said that the village was a framework created to vanquish the slaughter of clans and children; a framework designed to instate peace... and Itachi tried to sustain that peace all by himself. And that's when I finally understood: suffering bitter experiences, living in darkness as a criminal and traitor against the Land and the village, He was a shinobi who undertook all hatred and protected the both the Land of Fire and Konoha from the shadows. To me, he was the _true_ Hokage."

Sasuke crushed the leaf in his fist.

"It's not the one who is acknowledged by all, but the one who accepts all the hatred that is worthy of the title of Hokage. And I finally came to understand Itachi's feelings for this Land and village. But my brother failed in one aspect—letting his younger brother live, hiding the truth from him, and allowing the hatred to disseminate. However, I am unlike my brother; I have no father, mother, brother, not even a single member of my clan left alive."

He let the crushed pieces of the leaf go into the wind, and they fluttered away from his hand.

"I am all alone. I alone can bear the weight of all the hatred, and I alone will personally deal with all the hatred. I alone will handle all of the shinobis' problems. I alone will judge and punish. I'll concentrate all hatred upon myself, and bring together every single village under my control. Hatred within the darkness cannot be eliminated. Yes, the meaning of "Hokage" to me is someone who will sear away the darkness of all five hidden villages with just his own flame and then keep living by eating the ashes!"

Naruto gritted his teeth, "And you think everybody will just sit back and allow you to do that?"

"I already told you! I don't care what anybody thinks. And besides, I have the power to control everything now."

"You really have no clue about how Itachi lived! There are things that you can't do alone. Can't you see? This is the reason Sakura-chan died! She sacrificed her life giving us an opening! She was the only reason you were able to get out of Kaguya's dimension! She is who allowed us to defeat Kaguya!"

Sasuke remained impassive, "But not everything always goes so well... just like these two stone statues we're standing on." _Just like me and Itachi_.

"Revolution," Sasuke declared, "then the villages will no longer have to bear darkness, and I alone will become the darkness. I will dispose of the deep darkness of the past and from scratch build a path to a pure white future."

"And you're going to do this by killing the bijuu and the Gokage?!" Naruto angrily shouted, his anger rising with every word.

"Exactly. I'm cutting off the past."

Naruto reached his limit, "You, you're saying that you can pretend nothing ever happened with Itachi?! You and Itachi were connected to each other, and because a lot happened between you two, that's what made you who you are today!"

"Itachi is now in the past to me. I'm cutting all past mistakes and doubts here, starting anew. And first I will cut you down. And your blood will be the last shed in the memory of my late brother!"

Naruto balled his fist, "... I won't let you," he near-whispered. "I learned _everything_ I know from the people of my past! Especially how to figure out what to do after making a mistake. That's why _I won't let you kill me_!"

The two charged headlong at each other, colliding forearms so aggressively, when they split apart a sonic boom-like shockwave emitted from the encounter.

Quickly, the pair fell into an intense taijutsu battle. Although both were exhausted from their final battle with Kaguya just mere moments before, Sasuke was able to intersperse fire jutsu along with using his Rinnegan powers and Naruto was able to create shadow clones and generate multiple Rasengan within their fight.

" _Enton_ _: Honoikazuchi_!" Black flames erupted around Sasuke's body and pierced through the Naruto clones encircling him. The real Naruto caught his attack with his left hand coated in Kurama's chakra and quickly fell into Six Paths Sage Mode. He swung at Sasuke with both arms of chakra, and Sasuke evaded them easily.

Sasuke blasted a giant fireball from his mouth directly at Naruto stopped it in a chakra hand. Switching places with a rock behind Naruto, Sasuke used his left eye's Rinnegan and charged up a lightning chakra into his right hand. Naruto was taken by surprise as Sasuke swiped at him with the blade of lightning, sending him flying across the surface of the water.

Sasuke called up his Susanoo and from his place he fired Susanoo's arrows, which Naruto was able to halt with his Truth Seeking Balls. To match his level, Naruto entered Tail Beast Mode.

The fight escalated into a gargantuan battle of the familiars; Susanoo against Kurama. Bit by bit, they destroyed the surrounding area. Sasuke caught Naruto in a deadlock.

"What's wrong? Just playing defense?" He mocked.

Angry, Naruto grabbed ahold of Susanoo's leg and swung him overhead, smashing him into the water. He quickly charged a Bijuudama as Sasuke lied still. Naruto hesitated, wondering for a brief moment if Sasuke was defeated.

Sasuke took advantage of this hesitation and called down a strike of lightning in the form of a dragon from the heavens, which cruelly bit down on Kurama's head.

"If you keep stalling... you'll die," Sasuke stated, stoic.

Naruto struggled to his feet. "I'm not... trying... to kill you," he grunted. "You're trying to be alone _again_ and... as if I'd let that happen! Especially since we both know what that's like, that's why I can't let you try to..."

Sasuke engulfed Susanoo's hand with a Chidori as Naruto called Kurama to build a Bijuudama.

"... _go down that path intentionally_!"

The two flew at each other once more, and the attacks smashed into each other and immediately the surrounding area was blinded by white light and a deafening noise generated from the collision of these attacks.

In a strange and calming limbo-like space, Naruto and Sasuke floated in front of each other, face-to-face.

"Stop yelling useless things," Sasuke commanded. "We're no longer the boys who fought here long ago. I know your feelings. And you know mine."

"You know my feelings, and you still wanna fight me?"

"All the more _because_ it's _you_. I must cut you down and out of my life."

"There's no guarantee that the world you'll build after severing the past won't end up just the same as this one."

"And that's exactly why I'll watch over this world myself, so that it doesn't."

"Stop saying confusing things! The five villages are finally united, don't you see?"

"That's only because they found a common enemy. Akatsuki, Madara, and Kaguya... to defeat them, the five villages had no other choice than to set aside their differences and form an alliance to survive. But now, these enemies are gone. Eventually, conflicts between all of the villages will begin again."

"What, so now you're saying you're going to become the enemy? And? What'll happen after you're gone?"

"Finally... all the dots have connected into a straight line. It started with the Sharingan, and now I possess the Rinnegan. Reincarnation, immortality... I have many options. I will be able to control everything from the shadows instead of through battle."

"You're planning to return to that hell for the rest of your life... or rather, for the rest of eternity? While being hated by everyone?"

"... To me, that's what a Hokage should be."

And as soon as it came, the limbo they were floating in dispersed as the pair was consciously brought back to the real world. Susanoo and Kurama jumped apart from each other.

Sasuke became restless. This battle was going nowhere. He called all of the tailed beasts that were sealed into his Chibaku Tensei to him, absorbing the huge mass of chakra from each Bijuu into himself. Susanoo's limbs buffed and renewed with electric blue chakra.

"I am the strongest in the world right now. This will by my first step into the shadows."

Naruto created multiple shadow clones.

"That jutsu again? Naruto, that jutsu symbolizes your ultimate weakness: _loneliness_!"

The fight proceeded, Naruto struggling to even make hits on Susanoo. Susanoo threw Kurama around, and Sasuke taunted him.

"You only posesss a fraction of all the Tailed Beast's chakra. You can neither win against me, nor this!" Susano charged a huge, galvanizing arrow, the electricity and blue energy screaming off of it. And fired.

"Is it not ready yet, Kurama?!" Naruto desperately shouted.

"I actually might have amassed too much," Kurama smirked. "It's everything that's available!"

Kurama flew upwards, a blast of pure invisible energy permeating around him.

 _I can feel it_ , Sasuke thought. _How was he able to obtain so much Nature Energy so suddenly_?

"Let's do this!" Kurama shouted.

"Yeah!"

"You finally decided to take this seriously and kill me?" Sasuke commented.

"We've taken a lot of responsibilities on our shoulders now. I wanna fight and win against you fair and square... but, not against the current you! You know that very well yourself, don't you, Sasuke?!"

Kurama threw two supercharged chakra balls, and Susanoo retaliated by releasing a powerful arrow...

 _This fight with you right here and right now will be our last. Indra's Arrow: currently my strongest move. So just_ die _already. JUST BE GONE!_

And the whole valley was utterly destroyed, crushed into the ground.

When Sasuke came to, he grunted and gasped in pain. He flipped over and struggled up. The water from the river in between Hashirama's and Madara's statues vanished, and both Naruto and Sasuke found themselves on the rocky debris of the terrain.

"Shit. You're still not dead..."

Naruto got back up on his feet as well.

" _Amaterasu_!" But Naruto fended it off with a red chakra-cloaked arm.

 _Damn. I'll need the Tailed Beasts' chakra after all._

But Sasuke's Rinnegan eye throbbed in searing pain when he tried using his jutsu. He had used too much chakra. He wouldn't be able to use his Rinnegan for a little bit.

Again, the fight turned into a sole taijutsu battle, as both Sasuke and Naruto had temporarily run out of chakra.

It was more of a street brawl, really.

Every part of Sasuke's body was bloodied, bruised and swollen, but he refused to give in to Naruto. This seemed to be the same for Naruto.

"I'm going to win, and that's not an option," Naruto ground out. "For Sakura-chan." He swung an uppercut punch and Sasuke fell backwards.

On his back, Sasuke gave a callous and sadistic laugh. "Sakura... her silly death was in vain... her whole existence was in vain."

Naruto fell over Sasuke, gripping his shirt and started repeatedly punching his face.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! You don't know just how much Sakura grew, you weren't there to see her work her ass off every day just to become stronger! She did everything in her power to get as strong as possible so she could help bring you back too! So don't you _dare_ mock her efforts and her decision to sacrifice herself for _our sakes_ , you _bastard_!"

" _Enough_ ," Sasuke growled, and grasped of Naruto's stomach, absorbing what little Kurama's chakra was left away from him. Naruto shouted in surprise and his body slackened.

"This is one of my Rinnegan's powers. As someone who possesses the eyes of the Uchiha... my victory is inevitable."

 _And now, I can finally be alone!_

"Farewell," Sasuke called up a Chidori, "my one and only... friend!"

But Sasuke was too slow, and Naruto managed to counter faster with a mere punch.

"... again, and again. Again, and again, and again, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN. JUST GIVE UP AND LET ME CUT YOU DOWN!" Sasuke screamed.

"That's impossible," Naruto looked up directly at him, "because you are my one and only friend."

Sasuke closed his eyes. Using his final available chakra that he stole from Naruto, he called up one last Chidori with the last of his strength. Naruto responded in a similar matter with a final Rasengan. Taking one pause, they looked at each other and realized. This would be the final attack.

Naruto could feel the spirits of all his loved ones pouring their very souls into his Rasengan. Starting from Jiraiya, his father, Sakura, then the rest of Konohagakure... Naruto wasn't alone.

As Naruto and Sasuke flew closer and closer together, Sasuke's whole life of fighting Naruto flashed before his eyes. He saw themselves charging at each other as kids sparring in class at the Academy. He saw themselves as genin on the hospital rooftop, facing off.

The two jutsu connected.

* * *

Sasuke's right eye stirred awake, mainly because his body physically had no strength to do so. His left eye remained shut tight, swollen and beaten. The Sharingan was inactivated, and his black eye slowly and sluggishly, like molasses, rolled over his surroundings.

Huh. He was in the middle of a dense forest, lying on top of soft earth and the fresh morning dew of lush, green grass. The air was slightly chilly, signifying a cool spring morning.

Pain was the very next thing that registered in his mind. Wincing, he glanced at the source of his pain and his eye widened. His left arm had been completely blown off at the elbow. At this rate, he would bleed to death.

Dizzy from the blood loss, he decided he didn't care anymore and closed his eye, thinking he would fall back into another slumber, except this one for eternity.

 _Naruto... it's your win. I admit defeat._

He succumbed to the sleep overtaking his body. If he had stayed awake a little longer, he would have felt a presence enter the area.

"Nii-san, I think I found a corpse." A teenage boy hopped from the trees to Sasuke's unconscious body in the little clearing. His navy cloak bearing the uchiwa fan fluttered backward and revealed a typical high-collered blue shirt and standard gray slacks wrapped in white bandages at the ankles as he knelt down and listened for any signs of breath. The boy pulled back and observed the body. He possessed the general characteristics of the Uchiha clan: handsome facial structure, spiky dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. In fact—

"Oh okay, this is kind of freaky. He looks like me..."

"Izuna, who is this?" An older young adult resembling the other stranger in physique and outfit also stepped out from the trees. His hair, however, reaching his upper back and more volumous in nature. "Is he even alive?"

"I think he's a clan member. He's barely breathing." Izuna carefully hauled Sasuke's body over his shoulders. Blood spilled out like a cascade of a crimson waterfall from the torn opening where Sasuke's arm detached from his elbow.

"Damn the Senju... they probably did this to him. Hold still, let me tie that." The older male took a roll of bandage from a pouch around his waist and mercilessly cut off the circulation of the arm just above Sasuke's left elbow in a makeshift tourniquet and wrapped the torn flesh.

"Let's go."

And the pair sped out of the clearing, taking Sasuke with them.

 _He awoke to a clear morning sky, with no clouds in sight. Naruto was lying next to him, beaten up thoroughly and also missing his dominant arm. The splattered blood in place of their missing arms connected symbolically, as if the Unison Sign was forever declaring their reconciled differences as an eternal blood pact._

 _A head of pink hair was the next thing he saw, as Sakura jumped down next to him and Naruto and immediately began working to stop the bleeding from their arms with a healing green glow emanating from her hands._

 _Why did this girl go so far for him, to even heal him after he'd dismissed her countless times and even tried to kill her once before?_

 _"Sakura... don't heal me, focus on Naru—"_

 _"Shut up. I need to concentrate."_

 _And just like that, the guilt flooded in waves, raging through his heart._

 _"Sakura... I'm sorry."_

 _Her bangs hid her eyes, but he saw her lips tremble._

 _"Sorry? For what." It was more of a statement than a question.  
_

 _His eyes softened, "For everything."_

 _Sasuke saw Sakura doing her best not to cry, as she happened to do all the time whenever she was in front of him._

 _"Damnit... idiot_ _—!" She let the tears fall. And it was then that Sasuke realized just how much both Naruto and Sakura had done for him throughout his entire life; how much he was indebted to them for their unwavering love for him as a friend. He would repay them. He swore on it._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sasuke has finally reformed! The last bit was Sasuke dreaming about what would have happened if Sakura didn't die and if he didn't go back in time (basically what happened in the manga/anime). Get ready for some complex Sasuke character development in the future!


	3. A New World

"From now on, this will be where you return to every evening."

Sakura peeked into her new room from the candlelit main hallway of the compound. The inside of the room was dark, as it was evening outside. Sakura had quickly realized electricity wasn't yet discovered during this time period, so all light sources were in the form of fire from candles or oil lamps. Hashirama looked at her expectantly with his arms crossed, and she tilted her head up at him in question, as if asking for permission. He nodded his head, urging her to enter. Holding up the oil lamp out in front of her, she stepped into the traditional room and took in her surroundings.

From the dim light, she could see the room was simple and small. In one corner was a white futon laying on the tatami floor, with plain sleepwear yukata folded neatly at the base of it. In the opposite corner, a copper chamber pot. Sakura never would have imagined a life without toilets and a plumbing system, but fate seemed to be toying with her as she had to deal with doing her bathroom business in outhouses or in the woods all the time now. At least Sakura was used to relieving herself in the woods because she led a shinobi life. A low, round wooden table rested in the middle of the room, with a stuffed square cushion on either side. A candle sat in the middle of the table, inside a holder. There were no windows or doors besides the one leading to the hallway, and the only other item in the room was a sconce placed on the wall next to the door. Sakura took a long thin stick and caught the flame from her lamp to light the candles in the room and set the lamp down on the table.

"It's cozy," she remarked as she blew out the tiny flame on the stick and turned back to face him. From the doorway, Hashirama nodded.

"You have been through a lot. Tomorrow, I will show you the clinic and give you a tour of the Senju grounds. You are very lucky that you have a skillset beneficial to the clan, Sakura-san. My father would not have taken in a stranger so easily otherwise."

"I'm not quite sure I understand..."

"Ah, our previous healer had been killed when he was out gathering herbs in the woods. He was old in age, you see, and had unknowingly crossed Senju boundaries into Uchiha territory. You could very well imagine the Uchiha did not take kindly to that and immediately executed him."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "I'll keep that in mind." Not that she would let them take her life so easily, but it was still important to stay cautious and be alert at all times.

"If you would like a warm bath, I can call for the maidservant if you wish."

"It's alright, I think I'm too tired for a bath. I'll take one tomorrow."

"Alright, then. Have a good night, Sakura-san."

"Yes, you too. Good night."

Hashirama gently slid the shoji closed, and Sakura saw his shadow linger for a moment outside the screen before shuffling down the hallway. When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she didn't even bother changing into the yukata provided for her before throwing herself onto the futon. She let out a giant sigh she'd been holding in the whole day. Splayed out without any care, she stared up at the wooden beams of the ceiling.

She had landed in the past, that much she figured out. But how? And why? The last thing Sakura remembered was being hit by Kaguya's Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball. She, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi had been in the middle of fighting the goddess, while everyone else in the shinobi nations was individually trapped in some sort of cocoon—the Infinite Tsukiyomi, she recalled. She never really had the chance to find out what it did, though, as Sasuke had so bluntly told her it really didn't matter if she knew or not because she couldn't do anything about it.

To be honest, she had been hurt by his words. But, she knew that was also Sasuke's personality and the way he thought. Just when she thought she was useful to the group, Kaguya had managed to oust her. Sakura didn't know if the fight ended with Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke's victory or defeat. She sincerely hoped it was the former. So what then? If they had defeated Kaguya, did they undo the Infinite Tsukiyomi? Was everyone safe? Was Sasuke able to return to Konoha? Question upon question was swimming in Sakura's head, but Sakura remembered Sasuke's words:

 _"What's going on outside now, Sasuke-kun?"_

 _"Why do you need to know? There's nothing you can do about it now."_

 _Sakura's eyes shifted downward toward the ground in slight embarrassment for asking and dejection at Sasuke's crude reply._

 _"Sasuke, that's not the issue. Naruto and I want to know too, and Sakura only wants to think about a possible way to_ —"

 _"Kakashi, you're the same as Sakura right now. Be quiet, I'm the one directing."_

 _"..."_

 _"Sasuke, you asshole! We should use teamwork!"_

Right. Sakura could wonder all she wanted about what happened with Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, Kaguya, and the rest of the allied forces, but could she really do anything with limited knowledge of how she even got here in the first place? Would she even be allowed to return to her own time?

This led her to a new question: did she end up in the past of her own timeline, or was she in a parallel dimension? She had read many books about the notion of time travel during her obsession with quantum physics and astrophysics when she was fourteen, and understood the multiverse conjecture. If she had come to another dimension, did her actions really matter concerning the outcome of the future? She also knew she couldn't go changing things left and right. Was it really alright for her to stay so close to the most significant figures of her village's history?

What if she hadn't ended up in a parallel universe? What if she truly went back through her own timeline? If she had come back to the past of her own timeline, that meant nobody would be able to come and take her back to her own time _because they weren't even born yet_. She had no choice but to live through history... and try to change as little as possible.

Sakura closed her eyes and groaned. This was all too confusing.

Whatever. For now, she decided sleep was above everything else.

Sakura woke to the chirping birds at the crack of dawn. Although her body was still tired, her mind was awake so she couldn't bring it upon herself to sleep in. From her position on the floor, she used the momentum of her legs to kick up to a standing position on her two feet. She picked up her tattered clothes that she placed beside her bed the night before, and her eyes widened.

"Oh heavens, this stinks."

Not only were her clothes pungent, but Sakura realized she should have just taken Hashirama up on the offer of a nice, hot bath because she suddenly felt very grimy as well.

Deciding to wash up, Sakura slid open her shoji and hopped into the forest, hoping to find a river. After all, there couldn't be a settlement without a nearby water source. She was right. Not even ten seconds of running, she heard the familiar sound of a running stream.

Finding the little river in a small clearing, Sakura made sure there were no presences around and dunked her dirty clothes in the water. She made sure to wash the fabric really well, and with her monstrous strength, such a feat was no sweat to her. Making sure all the water was wrung out of her clothes, she set them aside onto the grass.

Double checking her surroundings again, she slid off her yukata and slipped into the water. It was cool and refreshing, and Sakura dunked her whole head under, letting the current of the river flow through her hair and massage her scalp.

She stayed under the surface of the water for a good minute, and when she ran out of breath, she shot up.

And came face-to-face with Senju Tobirama's stern visage.

Squeaking, Sakura's arms immediately flew to cover her chest and she plopped herself under the water again, so that her chin barely dipped under the surface.

" _Excuse_ _me_ , but what in the world do you think you're doing?!" She nearly shrieked. He was crouched right in front of her on the grass, his arms resting on both knees and his face lowered near the water. He was in standard casual wear: a long navy blue tee and navy slacks.

He leaned in closer, and Sakura wondered how that was even possible. She took a step back in the water.

"What do I think _I'm_ doing? I scan the perimeter every morning at the earliest light for suspicious activity, and I found _your_ chakra out in this area. I only came to investigate. Remember, I still don't trust you."

"Well, as you can clearly see, I'm going about my own business. So why don't you go about yours and _get. Out_!" She snarled. Sakura felt around her and grabbed a stone. She flung it at the future Hokage. She immediately regretted her actions though, when Tobirama easily dodged it with the tilt of his head and abruptly stood. His eyes were narrowed into slits and he glared at her with full force.

"I will not tolerate this attitude, _girl_. I still haven't acknowledged you yet," he sneered.

"Well, you're going to have to deal with it, because I'm not going anywhere," she retorted.

"Right. You're not going anywhere," Tobirama muttered. With a look of annoyance, he flashed out of the clearing. Sakura, although irritated, couldn't help but be amazed by his speed. He was hailed to be the fastest shinobi of his time in her history textbooks, after all.

Deciding to leave the area before somebody else walked in on her, Sakura reached for her clothes—

Only to find that they weren't there anymore.

" _Hey_!" She yelled indignantly.

* * *

Tobirama flew down from the trees back onto the Senju settlement when he heard a faint " _Hey_!" resound from behind him. _Stupid girl_ , he thought. Served her right. With a little huff of annoyance, he carried on his way back to the main compound with the woman's clothes tucked under his arm. He admitted that that might have been a little immature of him to do, but as he was still only seventeen, he decided that it wouldn't hurt to give the younger girl a lesson or two about attitude.

But he couldn't ignore the feelings of trepidation that diffused through his stomach. The stone that she had thrown at him literally punched a hole through several trees. That strength... it was easily far greater than any Senju he knew.

Just who _was_ this girl?

* * *

Sakura was stuck in the river.

Just when she was ready to give up and just scream for help, an old weathered woman shuffled out of the woods and into the clearing, holding a wide wooden pail on top of her head with one hand. The old lady wore a plain brown kimono and an apron wrapped around the waist. Her graying hair was twisted into a conservative bun.

"Oh my, are you alright, dear?" The woman worriedly asked, setting down her wooden bucket.

Sakura almost went hysterical, but she remained calm.

"No, not at all, Obaa-san. That stupid assho—I mean that... _boy_ Tobirama came and stole my clothes! Can you believe how rude he is?"

The old woman gave a melodious chortle, the wrinkles on her face crinkling in delight. "Now now, you should not be... hahaha... talking about the young master like that... hahaha!"

The woman's laugh was contagious and Sakura couldn't help but laugh along with her despite her current predicament.

"Ehem, excuse me. My name is Kiyo, and I am Butsuma-sama's family maidservant. Come here, let me help you." Kiyo gestured her out of the water, and Sakura complied. Kiyo unwrapped the big white sheet she wore as an apron from her front and wrapped it around Sakura's shoulders. The fabric came down to her thighs and thankfully covered her front.

"You have my utmost gratitude, Kiyo-san. I have no idea how to repay you!"

"Oh nonsense, dear. Your manners are enough for me. Although the young master apparently seems to think otherwise," Kiyo let out another boisterous laugh. Sakura let out a sheepish "eheh."

"Now that you are living in the main compound, I will be serving you as well. It's only natural for me to help you out. I've heard many things about you, Miss. I was the one who took care of you when you were unconscious, after all."

Sakura turned red, "Oh no, 'Sakura' is just fine. Please call me Sakura."

Kiyo hummed, "Alright... Sakura."

"Why are you out here in the first place?" Sakura inquired.

"Ah, I have come to fetch water, you see. But with my age, it gets difficult to carry it back with each passing day. Water is heavy, after all. Soon, one of the younger maidservants will have to take this job..."

"Oh! If it's just carrying water, I can do it for you!"

"Oh no, I would not wish to bestow such a job on you, Sakura."

"Please, let me do it. This is really nothing, I promise! Think of this as repayment for your kindness."

"Oh my, well, if you insist..."

Sakura dipped the large pail in the river and hoisted it up with one hand as if it were weightless. Kiyo's eyes widened in surprise.

"My, you look like such a dainty girl, and yet you possess such great strength!"

Sakura laughed, "Looks can be deceiving, Kiyo-san."

The two returned to the Senju settlement. The settlement was comprised of many little wooden lodgings, and the main complex, which was where Sakura was staying, lied in the middle of it all. The Senju clan was huge, much bigger than Sakura would have ever imagined. This settlement could have even established its own miniature village, she thought. No wonder Hashirama thought she could have been one of them when he found her; it would be hard to keep track of this many people in one clan.

"You can just leave the water here, Sakura." They were standing outside of a small hut, where a fire was burning in a pit just outside of it. Sakura assumed Kiyo was going to make breakfast. Sakura set down the bucket with a thud. The water sloshed back and forth inside of it.

"Come inside. I will fetch a kimono for you." Kiyo disappeared inside the hut, and Sakura followed in after her. Inside, Kiyo rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a kimono made of fine red silk and a pure white obi. Sakura gasped.

"I couldn't possibly wear such fine fabric! You must have something much simpler."

"Nonsense. I'm too old and unshapely to wear such a thing anymore. It has been many years since I have worn this kimono. I am giving it to you so you can put it to good use! And also, I am hoping you can use this to make the young master regret his actions," Kiyo winked.

Sakura blinked twice. What?

* * *

"Tobirama, have you seen Sakura? I checked her room just now, and she wasn't in there," Hashirama slid open the door to Tobirama's study. The younger brother had been reading an old clan scroll at his table and jerked his head up in slight annoyance at the sudden intrusion.

"No, I haven't," he bit out.

"Oh. I was supposed to show her the clinic this morning. Father wishes for her to be the clan's new healer; I guess he is desperate. The number of casualties and injured clan members have stacked up since the last battle, and they are all still in need of a good healer. It seems that no clan member is competent enough to fulfill this duty.." Hashirama mused thoughtfully.

Tobirama sighed, "Then why don't you go and find her? Maybe she's in the forest..."

Hashirama tilted his head at him in question. "The forest? Now why would she be there—"

"If you were looking for me, I am right here."

Sakura appeared at the entrance, and both males stopped in their tracks.

Sakura was clothed in a beautiful dark red kimono, with a dangerously low neckline and long wide sleeves, one of which she used to cover her mouth in slight embarrassment at the sudden attention. Her short hair was pinned back intricately, with a few strands framing her face and her diamond seal proudly pronounced on her forehead. Her emerald eyes were glued to the side, as she refused to look at either of the brothers directly.

"Wow, Sakura-san! What's the occasion? You look great!" Hashirama heartily laughed and praised her looks.

Tobirama, on the other hand, gritted his teeth and whipped his head to the side, upset with himself for being stumbled even the slightest bit by the girl. How had she gotten out of the river anyways?

"It's Kiyo-san's... I didn't have any clothes, and she gave this to me to wear. Although, I will need a more practical outfit if I am to heal people like you say," Sakura remarked.

Tch. The family's maidservant. Tobirama forgot she fetched water at the same stream every morning.

"Duly noted," Hashirama nodded. "Come, I will show you to the clinic."

Sakura followed Hashirama out of the younger brother's study, and they traversed the settlement to a wooden building with a small garden in front of it. When they entered, Sakura saw rows upon rows of cots... filled with injured people.

"Hashirama-san! Why did you not tell me there were so many who are wounded?" Sakura admonished. She immediately rolled up her sleeves and sprinted to the nearest bed. Scanning the male over, she pinpointed the source of his ailment with accuracy and placed a glowing green hand to his stomach. The male visibly relaxed, and his face gradually returned to a peaceful state.

"Who is watching over this place?" She asked sharply, urging Hashirama for an answer. He nodded.

"Kenta!" On cue, a young teenage boy of about twelve or thirteen ran up to the two. He was hugging a basket of plants, most likely herbs. His chocolate-brown hair was mussed, and his matching eyes held a frazzled look to them.

"A _kid_?!"

His eyes narrowed in annoyance, "Hey! I'm no kid! I'm the doctor!" The boy named Kenta huffed indignantly.

"Not yet, you're not. Can't you see this man was just minutes away from falling into a critical condition?!"

Kenta winced at the scolding and lowered his head. "I... I don't _really_ know what I'm doing. I'm just going off of what I learned when I was the old man's apprentice," he admitted.

"Alright kid, seeing as you're gonna be my helper from now on, get ready for a really _really_ long day. We're going to go through every single one of these patients, and you're going to write down exactly what I say is wrong with them and what their course of treatment will need to be."

"Stop calling me 'kid'! You don't seem much older than me yourself!"

"Get to it!" Sakura snapped. Kenta shut his mouth and obeyed. He set down his basket and ran to a desk, snatching a thick leatherbound notebook, a quill pen, and a little bottle of ink.

Sakura took a deep breath. Seeing the great number of wounded shinobi in this room made her dizzy.

 _Calm down_ , she commanded herself, and closed her eyes for a brief moment. _My name is Haruno Sakura, I am a kunoichi from Konohagakure no Sato, born to Haruno Kizashi and Haruno Mebuki. I learned the healing arts under Senju Tsunade. I am a chuunin. My teammates are Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. My sensei is Hatake Kakashi. My name is Haruno Sakura. My name is Haruno Sakura. My name is Haruno Sakura!_

Snapping her eyes open, she concentrated all her focus onto the patients in front of her.

Hashirama smiled. It seemed like allowing Sakura to stay was the best choice for the clan. He observed the two running around for a while and then left the pair to their own devices and stepped outside.

He didn't need to look to know Tobirama was leaning on the wall next to the door, arms crossed.

"Well, Anija?" Tobirama gave him an expectant look.

"She is remarkable," Hashirama assured him, "she seems to be able to utilize her chakra to heal to an even better extent than Jii-san ever could. I never knew you could do use chakra like the way she controls and manipulates it! Not only that, she hadn't even used her chakra on some patients, conserving it and optimizing efficiency. Her leadership skills are also quite impressive; her ability to keep calm and assess the situation was outstanding."

However, rather than being impressed, Tobirama's eyes narrowed. The mysteries of this girl were piling up. First, she exhibited signs of inhuman strength. Second, she was a formidable healer unlike any they've seen in their lifetimes. Third, she was definitely hiding secrets with her shifty nature and defensive attitude.

He definitely wouldn't allow it if she was an Uchiha spy. But if she wasn't that, then just what was she hiding?

Tobirama vowed to expose her secrets.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Yay! This chapter saw Sakura starting her life with the Senju. Tobirama's still suspicious of her hehe. Don't worry, Hashirama doesn't "like like" her, as he and Mito are meant to be in my eyes (who you will see in the future).

But guys, I have such big plans for this story you don't even know. EVERYTHING will come together and make sense in the end, you'll see hehe.


	4. Novation

Disclaimer: The beginning monologue is transcribed from manga chapter 699.

* * *

 _Naruto… I remember now the words you once said to me. That when you were with me, you understood what it was like to have a brother. And when I think of it that way... that feeling..._

 _I finally get it now._

 _I'd been traveling around the world, and I seem to recall those memories often. We were alone and starved of love; kids who lived in a world filled with hate. From that point on, we went our separate ways and fought. But time has passed, and now I think... could it be that just like how the hope and pain from my father, mother, and beloved brother Itachi flowed into me, I would understand_ your _hopes and pains too, Naruto?_

 _You never abandoned me. You never gave up on me, coming closer even when I pulled away._

 _It wouldn't have surprised me if you hated me, but you didn't, and you kept insisting that we were friends. And I nearly destroyed even that._

 _You fought to stop me, to the point where you even lost an arm. All because you were my friend._

 _You saved me._

 _The us who fought over the smallest of things are now able to share the pain in each others' hearts._

 _On my journey around the world, I realized that all of these feelings weren't just about us, and I'm sure it's the same for everything else. But, there aren't a lot of people like you, and things won't always go as planned; just look at us. It'll be especially true when it comes to greater things._

 _I think it's the same as praying. And until I can do it, I'll stay strong. The beings who have been entrusted with hope... that's us._

 _That's what makes us ninjas._

Sasuke awoke with a start without opening either of his eyes. His immediate thoughts concerned the throbbing and blinding pain in his left arm—or what was left of it. Gritting his teeth and wincing, he clutched at the offending injury as if tightly holding onto it would somehow recede the pain. The stump was bound tightly in white linen bandages, so tight that the area around the stump of his arm was numb.

Naruto. Their last battle. These memories vividly rushed through his mind and evoked him to force his right eye open and take in his surroundings. On the other hand, his left eye's Rinnegan was too drained of energy to even twitch, much less open. It remained shut, involuntarily.

The first thing he saw was a wooden ceiling. The only light available came in from the windows—it seemed to be midday. Turning his head, he noticed that he was in a one-roomed wooden cabin of sorts, with the futon that he was lying on top of and a small fire pit the sole items in the room.

He was shirtless, save for the fresh bandages wrapped diagonally across his torso and around his midriff. He was still wearing his dark pants.

Where was he? Where was Naruto? Kakashi? Was he dead?

Sasuke's upper body shook uncontrollably as he struggled up into a sitting position. This action alone caused him to pant heavily, and he paused to catch his breath. He rested his arm in his lap and stared down, feeling the bead of sweat roll down the side of his face.

His Rinnegan eye dully pulsated. His obliterated left arm _hurt_.

 _Shit_ , he was just in so much physical pain.

"I would lie back down if I were you," a low velvety voice remarked while sliding open the door to the small abode Sasuke rested in. He slowly craned his neck toward the voice and was completely unprepared for what—who—he saw.

It as as if he was looking into a mirror or was facing a clone of himself.

Blinking a couple of times, Sasuke's open eye narrowed in confusion and apprehension. If he could move, he would already be gripping this person by the throat and demanding answers.

"Yeah, I was shocked when I found you too. We really do look alike, don't we?" The stranger set down the tray he was holding on the floor, hot steam from the bowl and teacup lazily flickering into the air. He smiled slightly. Shuffling forward lightly, he outstretched a hand, stopping in front of Sasuke's face. Sasuke made no move to take it.

The other male drew his hand back somewhat sheepishly and turned around to grab the tray again. It was then that Sasuke saw the uchiwa symbol emblazoned on the back of the man's high-collared shirt. Sasuke's eye widened and his body shook with rage. How dare this person wear the symbol of his clan so blatantly?!

"You were out for three days. My name is Izuna," Swiveling back around on his knees and tray in hand, Izuna raised his head to look at Sasuke, "what's yo—woah!"

In place of Sasuke's obsidian was crimson red, three commas dangerously swirling in the iris. Sasuke was glaring with absolute suspicion and full force at Izuna.

"I guess that answers my question if you're an Uchiha or not," Izuna joked, "calm down. You're back on Uchiha grounds. You're safe here."

"Uchiha grounds...?" Sasuke echoed, speaking for the first time. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he had heard the name 'Izuna' _somewhere_ before...

"Don't tell me you hit your head and lost your memories too? Although I'd believe it considering how beat up you were when I found you and how you don't seem to know who I am." Izuna set the tray down at Sasuke's side, and folded his hands in his lap as he sat in perfect seiza.

Frowning, Sasuke said nothing in retaliation. Upon observing Sasuke's expression, Izuna's face also fell, "Oh. I was half kidding, but are you serious..."

Of course, Sasuke hadn't actually lost his memories per say, he just thought the smartest thing to do would be to wait until he figured out wherever the hell he landed in before divulging _anything_ about himself, lest he was in some kind of enemy territory who was playing a sick joke on him. The red faded from his eye as a dull black came into place once more as he spared himself the expenditure of already depleted chakra reserves. He would let this 'Izuna' go for today.

"Well, do you remember your name and age, at least?" Izuna inquired, curiously peering at Sasuke's tired face.

"..." Contemplating for a moment, Sasuke decided to nod his head once in affirmation.

"At least we have something to go off of. Funny, I don't remember seeing you anywhere though. I would remember, seeing as you and I look so similar and you seem to be around the same age as me... I find it hard to believe that we haven't run into each other our whole entire lives no matter how big our clan is."

Sasuke scoffed, "I wouldn't know." And really, he wouldn't.

"Do you remember how you got those injuries? They were really serious. You nearly died, and you would have had I and Nii-san not been the ones to find you. Nii-san was pretty sure that a Senju had gotten you."

Although Sasuke was annoyed that these people thought that he was that easy to take out, he simply muttered, "I remember fighting." After all, only Naruto was strong enough to drive him to the brink of death.

"Ah, it was probably a Senju then, like Nii-san said. Our last battle with them was just a few days ago, so it makes sense."

Sasuke processed Izuna's words carefully. Battle? With the Senju? The last time Sasuke checked, there weren't even any Senju alive in Konoha, besides Tsunade. There was also still the issue of this copycat bearing _his_ clan's symbol so... so obnoxiously.

Two knocks. Sasuke's eye shifted to the door, where the sound came from.

"Ah, come in," Izuna called, and the door slid open, revealing another dark-haired figure, "Nii-san!"

Not for the first time that day, Sasuke saw red as his eye settled onto the countenance of the presence at the door.

" _Madara_ ," Sasuke seethed.

Madara Uchiha was standing at the entranceway, but this Madara was different from the one Sasuke encountered before. This Madara had slightly shorter hair, albeit still unkempt as ever. His eyes weren't crazy, his sclerae were normal and he was just overall much younger... and much more _alive_. There were no cracks definitive of the Edo Tensei marring his body either.

Madara raised a brow in question, and Sasuke froze. He suddenly knew why he had heard of Izuna's name before, why Izuna and Madara were both wearing the Uchiha crest, and why the Senju were mentioned.

Sasuke was definitely in the past.

"Excuse me?" Madara intoned, amused and confused at Sasuke's sudden anger all the same.

No, _this_ wasn't the same Madara who was the root of all of Sasuke's problems. _This_ Madara looked barely older than twenty and probably hadn't taken over leadership of the clan yet. _This_ Madara wasn't yet responsible for the total annihilation of the Uchiha Clan. _This_ Madara didn't wish to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, thus rendering everything that Itachi had fought for useless.

Even though it was very difficult to look at the same face of the same enemy Sasuke once fought without any contempt, Sasuke swallowed his pride and rage, and impassiveness washed over his features once more.

"Aa. Future leader of the clan," Sasuke all but recited. Or at least he assumed. "Sudden headache," he lied in explanation of his demeanor.

"Hmm..."

Sasuke couldn't tell if Madara bought his excuse or not.

"How come you remember Nii-san, but not me," Izuna grumbled.

"Of course he knows who I am, Izuna. I will be taking over leadership of the clan in a few years' time, after all," Madara chided. He looked back at Sasuke, "it seems as though you are saved from death, at least."

Sasuke made no move to respond.

"Tch, bad manners, this one. Answer your future leader, boy."

"I think he's still fatigued. Let's let him rest, Nii-san," Izuna mediated, as he knew how bad of a temper his older brother possessed. Madara flicked an annoyed glance at Izuna, but Sasuke could see the softening of his eyes when looking at his sibling. It almost reminded him of how Itachi used to look at him...

"You never did tell us your name, though," Izuna addressed him, as he and Madara stood up to leave. Sasuke sighed.

"Uchiha... Sasuke."

* * *

Sasuke spent the next month and a half recuperating in the same dreary wooden room, devoid of life and color. Izuna or Madara would stop by every so often, leaving him trays of food to eat and tea to drink. If they were busy, a random Uchiha or Uchiha servant would come in their stead. The Uchihas' healer, a middle-aged male of nondescript general Uchiha features, checked up on Sasuke's arm and changed dirty bandages for clean ones once every few days. At first, Sasuke didn't have much of an appetite, much to everyone's chagrin. He somehow felt as if eating food of this world would tie him down to it. However, he eventually gave in to his stomach and had to at least eat something in order to survive and regain strength.

His arm wouldn't stop hurting like hell, either. The wound at his elbow had been closed rather amateurishly, with rough stitches sewn together being the only thing holding his skin closed over the stump. Sasuke had always known his clan wasn't notorious for its medical abilities, but he cursed that this was also the case for his ancestors as well.

But Sasuke also thought that maybe the pain in his arm was fitting as punishment, for all of his misdeeds as a missing nin and as an enemy of Konoha. He used that very arm to hurt, nearly _kill_ his most precious people; the people who considered him as their most precious friend. Redemption plagued his mind, as all he thought about was how he could ever redeem himself to Naruto, how he could ever redeem himself to Sakura who _died_ for his sake, and how he could ever redeem himself to the entirety of the shinobi nations if he could even return back to his own time. The pain in his left arm served as a reminder, and once the pain went away (if it ever did), the missing forearm would continue to symbolize his thrown away past.

Over his convalescence, Sasuke adapted to life in this time period. Fire was never a problem for the Uchiha clan, so Sasuke had access to hot baths and slept beside warm contained fires during chilly evenings. Oftentimes, he would simply think and postulate about how he got here and if he would be able to get back.

Tonight was one of those nights, and Sasuke reviewed everything in his head once more as he sat with his good arm resting on his right knee next to the fire pit in his room.

Sasuke remembered the clash of the Chidori and Rasengan, but he also remembered how pitifully low he and Naruto both were on chakra. There was no way their final jutsu could have been strong enough to rip open the space-time continuum and send Sasuke to the past like this. Unless some higher force or being was at play? If so, was Naruto also here?

Sasuke wasn't dumb, either. He wasn't Shikamaru by any means in terms of brains, but he was a very intelligent individual. He knew there were ramifications of changing the course of history—the butterfly effect, he recalled from an Academy lecture from what felt like eons ago. So what was he supposed to do? Just sit around here like a rock until he rotted of old age?

While Sasuke really didn't want to do that, he at least decided that it would be best to never show his Rinnegan and wrapped bandages over his left eye. If anybody from this time saw his Rinnegan, that would definitely set up for many unwanted questions and difficult explanations. He was disappointed, though. He hadn't really gotten the chance to explore the limits or potential of his newly acquired eye and probably wouldn't be able to unless he was completely alone. His left eye hadn't healed yet either and was still recharging its powers.

If he didn't know how he came here in the first place, Sasuke grimly knew there wasn't much he could do to get back. He also realized that without his powers, Naruto and Kakashi wouldn't be able to undo the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi either.

Sasuke slammed his fist on the floor by his side. " _Shit_!"

Would he really have no choice but to relive history? _Rewrite_ history? What would happen when the time came for him to be born in the future? Could two Uchiha Sasukes even exist at once? Or would his mere presence now affect the future so much that the future Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't even be born?

Sasuke closed his visible eye.

 _Whatever I do, I better make it count_.

The next morning, Sasuke finally felt strong enough to venture out of his lodging. After being in bedrest for nearly two months, it never felt so good to... _walk_. Izuna had given him some spare clothes: standard dark navy shirt and pants.

Sasuke never realized how huge his clan had been in the past. Flags adorned with the Uchiha crest decorated acres of lush, green land, nearly sparkling with the sunshine. Each wooden house in the collective was home to an Uchiha. Sasuke breathed in a little, with wonder.

So this was his heritage... this was his past.

He drank in the sight, of a community comprised solely of Uchiha—something he hadn't really seen since he was a child. Except that this was... this was much _bigger_. Uchiha-owned vegetable stands and grocers, Uchiha-owned weaponry, Uchiha-owned tailors, Uchiha-owned _everything_.

Sasuke was once dubbed "The Last Uchiha," but that moniker was no more.

He led himself into the forest, intending to find a secluded area.

He had been sedentary for too long.

It was time to train.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Merry Christmas! In the spirit of giving, here is my present to you faithful readers :)

I tried making Izuna a teensy bit more amicable as a foil to Sasuke. We can't have _three_ uptight, angsty, butthead characters walking around, now can we? Lmao, the Sasu-Izu-Mada trio I can't


	5. Acclimitization

Quickly but surely, Sakura had acclimated to the Senjus' way of living. Within just a couple of weeks, she had learned how to behave like a Senju, think like a Senju, talk like a Senju, _live_ like a Senju. Sakura rationalized that she needed to blend in with the system in order to accurately move time along in accordance with history. If there was anything inconsistent than what she memorized from her history books from long ago, then she knew she would have had changed time and possibly screwed everything over for everybody's future.

But she couldn't know for sure, as she could have already changed absolutely everything with just her mere existence in the past. Not to mention, her new job as the Senjus' resident doctor required her to be in such close proximity to the future Konoha's very founders themselves.

Sometimes, Sakura wished that she had woken up far, far away from Konoha when she landed in this time, if it would have been of any help to keeping her Konoha, her Konoha. But even then, she knew that adjusting the future was inevitable because, well, to simply put it, all life was connected somehow, in some way. If she had found herself in, as an obscure example, the Land of Wind, she could have very well unwittingly influenced even the tiniest alteration there in which greater impacts could have manifested themselves in the forms of political policies or international relations, in turn ultimately affecting Konoha in some way or another. Thinking about the effect of her presence in this light, she reckoned it that maybe it was actually for the best that she ended up right at the doorstep of her future home.

Sakura simply figured she already screwed everything up. The only thing she could really do now was to not mess with the past any more than she already had and to keep living her life earnestly and diligently, sticking to her own principles with pride.

Within the approximate two weeks Sakura had started her new life on the Senjus' settlement, she managed to heal all of the curable wounds of the patients at the clinic to a non life-threatening point. Hashirama was keen on observing her, but she was extremely cautious of revealing the extent of her abilities. She knew for a fact that some of her medical jutsu hadn't even been invented yet, much less conceived as ideas at this point in time. But Sakura being Sakura, wouldn't forsake the lives of her patients in exchange for keeping her identity a secret. Thus, Sakura would never hesitate to shut the door of the clinic in Hashirama's face whenever she experienced an emergency that required advanced jutsu or medical knowledge, providing him with the excuse that his presence was a distraction and that she needed all the concentration she could acquire. Hashirama's disposition left him pouting and displaying his acute depressive tendencies. Sakura had quickly become immune to those puppy eyes, but she did allow him to observe her when she knew for sure that she wouldn't reveal anything drastic about her healing abilities.

Of course, Sakura wasn't an omnipotent god or deity; she had lost patients as well. For the unfortunate who were beyond saving, the sole thing she could do to help was to make their last moments as comfortable as possible. Her heart especially broke when she had to helplessly witness the fear some of her patients expressed when they were afraid of death or couldn't accept it. Whenever Sakura couldn't save a patient, she always felt and would always feel just as sorrowful and mournful as she had when she lost her very first patient as a fourteen-year-old. Her inimitable compassion and love for people defined who she was, and she refused to throw those qualities of her away just for the sake of preserving a future that she wasn't even sure if she had already altered or not.

Although she hadn't lost as many patients as she had saved, Sakura had still seen the death of many within these past two weeks. It pained her even further to know that the loved ones of the recently deceased lived with her, in the Senju community. Observing their grief and hearing their doleful cries threw her into a bout of depression, to which even the sharp and harsh Tobirama didn't know how to approach.

Wartime had been different, because Sakura couldn't _afford_ to grieve. Grieving cost time, and there simply wasn't any time during battle. Wasting time resulted in death.

Anyone would think that surviving through a whole entire war would have hardened Sakura's heart. Sakura couldn't save every single injured person on the battlefield; she simply didn't have enough chakra, physical strength, and time. But even Sakura surprised herself with her emotional capability. Some considered it a weakness; feelings got in the way of the difficult, brutal, cold shinobi lifestyle. Sakura, however, had come to understand that true strength bred from human emotion; Naruto was a living example. Was. So she let herself wallow in the grievance of her lost patients, even though she never got the chance to personally know them individually.

After a collective funeral and burial procession had taken place a little ways outside the boundaries of the Senju community, Sakura had shut herself in the little clinic and had been staying there for the past few days, refusing to see anyone even at Hashirama's insistence. The only consolations Sakura had were to continue to care for the lives of those patients who had won their life-threatening battles and only needed follow-up treatments and to continue to care for the clinic's small herbal garden. The only person she allowed to see her was her young assistant, Kenta.

This didn't stop Hashirama from taking advantage of the boy—he secretly paid him with a little pocket money to feed him with updates as to how Sakura was faring. Oh no, this wasn't bribery! Hashirama insisted. He swore he was just doing this out of concern for the young woman who must have been through a lot by being thrust into a new environment so suddenly.

Tobirama, unlike his older brother, was less about compassion and more about suspicion. Because really, who could actually be that depressed about the loss of a few lives? Granted, Tobirama was also quite upset that the blood of his kin had to be spilled and demanded retribution by severing the heads of a few Uchiha as his idea of serving justice. But he had deemed dwelling on these lost lives as a waste of time and would much rather have been practical about what he could have accomplished in the same span of time. Everything about this girl's behavior annoyed him to no end, so he decided for himself to find out what she was _really_ doing behind the closed doors of that stupid clinic.

Consequently, Tobirama found himself standing in front of the said doors, arms folded and contemplating with a frown whether to knock or to just kick it down. He chose to go with the more amicable gesture, lest he faced the annoying wrath of this annoying girl. He knocked against the wood twice with obviously restrained force. There wasn't an answer. Leaning in, he heard her voice in a stern and instructive tone. She probably hadn't heard him. He thought _to hell with it_ , and rolled the sleeve of his blue yukata up before vigorously opening the door.

The pink-haired girl in the corner of the room paused as all heads in the room turned towards the doorway. The beige jinbei fit loosely on her lithe figure, and Tobirama was taken aback at her masculine choice of a work outfit. The sleeves of the kimono were tied back with a strip of linen. It seemed she had opted to tie her hair into a half ponytail, as it was too short to hold everything in a full one. Her left hand held a small, wooden slate and a few pieces of parchment paper. Her right hand had been in a pointing position, as if lecturing Kenta, who was at her side, about the patient in the bed in front of them. She had been frozen in this pose for a few seconds before she blinked and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, did you need something?" Tobirama couldn't discern if he detected a little rudeness in her tone of voice or not.

"... Carry on. I'll wait until you're finished."

Sakura sighed, "Alright. This is the last patient anyway," she turned her attention back to Kenta, "so overall, not only do you want to properly change Tadashi-san's bandages every day, but you should apply the herbal salve I just showed you how to prepare as well. This ointment possesses great antibiotic properties that will fight off most infections that may result from his amputated leg. Remember, the healing arts are not all about what you can do with only your chakra; you must be fully knowledgeable on how to use every resource available around you too. This is extremely important and might even save you if you're ever in a situation where you completely run out chakra."

Tobirama remained impassive as he watched the brown bushy muss of Kenta's hair enthusiastically shake about as he nodded energetically, listening intently and jotting down notes in his leather-bound notebook with determined eyes. It kind of reminded him of a happy wet mutt shaking off excess water from his fur...

"What?" Sakura questioned, having finished her little lesson. She made her way to Tobirama's spot against the wall next to the door and tilted her head in question, clutching her papers against her chest.

"Just checking up on you, because Anija seems to be afraid of your temper." Which was completely true. Hashirama had tested Sakura's patience one too many times with his insistence of watching her heal the wounded.

"And?" Sakura sounded tired. Her eyes were red, rubbed raw, and slightly puffy, and her usual impeccable posture was slouched. She seemed... so resigned.

"Don't tell me you're still hung up on the dead shinobi," Tobirama scoffed. Sakura stiffened.

"Not just shinobi, but people," she corrected but didn't care to expend energy to argue. She slipped past him, setting her papers down on the nearest table and sliding open the door, walking out into the garden. Tobirama impulsively trailed after her.

"People who were Senju. Senju who were Shinobi, admirable shinobi who died with the pride of the clan attached to their backs. There's no need to feel such sadness for admirable deaths. They had been very fine shinobi." Tobirama's ideology was heavily influence by his father, but he more or less agreed with this way of life.

Sakura crouched down, softly caressing the large leaves of a plant. She smiled sadly.

" _They_ were once human beings, each who once had a unique personality, who once cultivated their own special bonds, who once held their own principles to life, who once had their own souls. You should treat life better. Don't think just because you've been through so many battles that you can just become desensitized to death. Treat people's lives with respect, and in turn, yours will be treated just as preciously," Sakura rested both of her hands on her knees and closed her eyes, feeling the wind rush through her hair.

Tobirama's eyebrow twitched. Who did this little girl think she was to lecture him in such a condescending way? Nevermind the fact that they were apparently the same age. She was just as idealistic as his brother. He nearly gagged at the thought.

"It's war," Tobirama brusquely replied.

"It's life." Sakura opened her eyes and looked up at him. When he glanced down into those shining jades, though, he knew she wasn't just pulling things randomly from thin air. She was speaking from experience, with the aura of a seasoned shinobi. He wondered what she possibly could have experienced for her to say such... mature words. She didn't seem to want to argue or fight with him like she usually did.

Perhaps he had been wrong, and maybe she truly was just grieving the lost lives. He coughed, and a moment of silence passed.

"Err, here, tell me what you think of this jutsu." Tobirama, on impulse, molded his fingers into a cross shape, to produce his latest creation.

Two exact copies of Tobirama popped into existence, all mimicking his slack pose of hands-on-the-hips.

"..." Sakura stared for a good five seconds before—

"Pfft!"

Tobirama felt his eyebrow twitch again.

"What?" He demanded.

"Bunshin?" Sakura laughed behind her hand, "so anticlimactic."

"No! Look at them carefully. Ugh, I thought you were supposed to be smart," Tobirama huffed, a little red from embarrassment that she found the new technique he'd been working so hard on to perfect to be unimpressive at first glance.

Sakura peered at the clones, giving them a once over. After looking at the ground at the clones' feet, she gasped.

"Shadows! They're corporeal!" Tobirama was showing her _kage bunshin_! She remembered, this technique had originally been created by the Niidaime Hokage!

"Which is why I named them _kage bunshin_. Fitting, right?"

Sakura nodded. "What exactly can they do?" Not that she didn't already know, as she spent half her life with a master user of the said jutsu. But in this time, she wasn't supposed to know, so she decided to entertain him.

And so Tobirama explained all the functions of a kage bunshin to her, and Sakura only half-listened. She noticed the way his usual rough self was replaced by one sparked with excitement and sprinkled with pride at inventing a new jutsu. When he himself realized he was uncharacteristically getting too excited, he would cough into his hand and then continue his explanation with his normal rugged tone.

To be honest, Sakura was really amazed at how Tobirama had _created_ the jutsu. It always took her a lot of time and practice to perform already known jutsu—she wondered just how much time it exactly took to find the right amount of chakra needed, to envision what the jutsu's purpose and function was supposed to be, to actually create an entirely new jutsu.

"Can I try?" She asked, and he stopped, raising his eyebrow.

"If you want. But let me tell you, don't come crying to me when you don't get it on the first try—"

"—Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" and a perfect shadow clone of Sakura appeared next to her. Tobirama's jaw nearly dropped.

"Ahaha, I don't think I can make as many as you though," Sakura pretended to modestly mention. Her eyes twinkled with laughter.

Tobirama could see the smug look in her eyes at one-upping him. He grumbled under his breath.

"I'm going home!" He snapped, and he swiftly turned on his heel and stalked off. He swore he could hear Sakura's muffled laughs from behind him.

"Thank you for showing me!" She called after him. She sounded bright, just like she did when she first came here. He ignored her.

When he was a good distance away, he momentarily stopped.

Didn't he go see her to find out her secrets? Why did it turn out that he had cheered her up instead? And showed her his new jutsu?

* * *

The very next day, Sakura decided to let Hashirama watch her do her daily round of treatments like he so badly wanted. When he asked her why the sudden change in heart, Sakura had cheerfully replied, "because I felt like it," and Hashirama knew better than to question her further. Oh well, he decided to milk this opportunity as much as he could and for all that it was worth.

This was also how he found himself in his current predicament, at a table in the clinic with a dying fish lying still on top of a scroll with black ink holding it in place and keeping its life barely sustained.

He kind of understood what Sakura was doing just by watching her and her not having to explain anything to him with words when she used chakra to heal people. It seemed like she concentrated chakra to her hands and used precise control to convert it to some kind of chakra that healed the intended target wound. When he mentioned his observations to Sakura, and the fact that he thought up of an idea to maybe even self-heal by controlling chakra to specific points in the body without having to use hands as an outlet or medium, Sakura paused, thought for a moment, and then ushered him to try what she called "medical ninjutsu."

Hashirama hesitantly hovered his hands above the fish, and commanded absolute focus and control. He tried to envision these "cells" in his mind's eye, having intensely studied a quick lecture about human cell biology from the young woman. He concluded that she couldn't have possibly made such a massive amount of bogus up so everything _had_ to be real.

Sakura sat, legs crossed and arms crossed, watching him with apprehension. She found it odd that Hashirama hadn't already been exposed to the healing arts when she arrived at the Senjus'. He was already around twenty, and she clearly remembered that the Shodaime was supposed to possess unprecedented skill in medical ninjutsu. It was even the answer to question eight on her final written exam for graduation at the Academy! She was sure of it. Her memory never lied to her.

She initially felt uneasy when he expressed such persistent interest in her abilities, because she didn't want to expose herself and completely ruin the future. That was the whole reason why she denied his requests so many times in the first place!

But then creeped another thought into her thinks-too-much-for-her-own-good brain.

What if... what if, she was _supposed_ to introduce him to medical ninjutsu?

What if she was stuck in something like a time loop? And her existence in the past actually wasn't by mistake but her actual destiny?

Sakura's head spun. She still didn't even know if she was in the same timeline or a different dimension. But she knew for certain that she wasn't going to spend the rest of her life as a rock.

She would take the risk.

"Wo-woah, Sakura-san, look! The fish is flopping!"

Sakura's jaw nearly hit the floor. This was only Hashirama's what, second or third time attempting the jutsu?

"A... prodigy," she murmured.

"Or so I've been told," Hashirama sheepishly laughed, scratching his head in embarrassment. His eyes lit up, "So what's next? Can I start healing cuts and stuff like that? Do you think I'm ready for that yet? Or maybe I can help heal the patients? Man, this stuff is so new and exciting!"

Sakura was still in shock. She had no words to say. She gulped, throat dry.

"Uh, well—"

But Sakura never got to finish that sentence, as a flash of white suddenly filled her vision and crashed to the floor right at her feet. She jumped up and screamed. Hashirama was taken by surprise as well.

"What in the _world_!"

Tobirama was sprawled on the floor in front of her, a glowing blue ringed seal pulsating right on the spot he appeared. He gasped, as the wind was clearly knocked out of him, and then groaned.

"It... it worked," he breathed, and promptly lost consciousness.

Sakura blinked.

Well. Things certainly didn't turn out the way she expected them to.

* * *

 **Author's Note** **:** Happy New Year!

To answer FAQs:

1) Yes, this IS a SasuSaku!

Even if Sasuke wasn't here or he like died or something, my strong personal opinion is that even then, Sakura wouldn't be able to let him go because she loves him that much. In this chapter, Sakura just comes to accept her friendship with Tobirama, and Tobirama's just confused about his feelings lol.

2) Sorry, I won't change my mind on the pairing :/ if this isn't the fic for you, I apologize. But I can't change the pairing just for like two readers when everybody else is expecting SasuSaku.

3) Sasuke and Sakura will meet. Don't worry, it'll come. Remember, I already time-skipped two months in chapter four for Sasuke because he spent that time healing from his injuries. Sakura's still on like week two L O L. Not to mention, I still need to develop Madara's and Izuna's plots more. So there's still much to be left done before Sasuke and Sakura can meet.

4) I promise to put more content and length in Sasuke's side of the story :)


	6. Suspicions

Viridian and jade rustled into the peripheral of Sasuke's view as he gently shoved aside obstructing branches while searching for an isolated spot to train in peace. He had been walking for quite some time, long enough that he was slightly out of breath. The lack of exercise and nearly two months of bedrest had started taking a toll. Ignoring the tightening in his chest, Sasuke pushed forward in his miniature quest.

Soon enough, more and more of the morning sunlight peaked through the holes assembled by the leaves of the thick forest, and Sasuke more or less stumbled out of the woods into a breathtakingly refreshing and spacious glade, split cleanly in two by a very wide, sparkling river.

Sasuke caught his breath while standing bent over with his right hand resting on his right thigh. Filling his lungs to its maximum capacity, he took in the fresh pine-scented air through his nose and closed his eye. He straightened upright, exhaling as he continued to see the world in darkness behind his eyelids.

He took two steps forward, stepping out of his tattered black sandals, and completely halted all and any movement, just standing there with an arm and a half at his sides. He stood so still, he could have fooled himself into thinking the world had stopped, if not for the sounds, smells, touches, _feelings_ that entered his senses.

The rushing of the river. The sing-song calls of different birds echoing through the trees. The dewy plush of the grass under his toes. The light wind tickling his earlobes. The agonizing pulse of his obliterated left arm... Sasuke concluded that although time was reversible—he was living proof of this—it was definitely unstoppable.

He opened his stance. He punched the air without any trace of the wavering emotions battling in his heart; swiftly and confidently, he fell into familiar katas—taijutsu ingrained into him through muscle memory and patterns of flawless kicks and punches and graceful spins practiced countlessly.

Sasuke took a little while to adjust to his missing limb, but he was always a quick learner and adapter. He figured out ways to compensate for his left arm by substituting what was normally supposed to be left-handed punches with either his legs or right arm.

The strongest shinobi possessed absolute mastery of the fundamentals, and Sasuke was no exception. Back to the basics he went, planning to refresh his body from bottom up. He remembered a time when he would have ridiculed this idea, when he just wanted to be as strong as possible as quickly as possible. When he would pore over his clan's arsenal of jutsu and attempt to teach himself all of them without really possessing a firm foundation. When he was stupid and naive, famished for power.

But he wasn't his thirteen or fifteen-year-old self anymore. He wasn't even the same person he'd been a few months ago. What was his ambition now? What was his purpose for living? Now it seemed as though his life held no meaning. He wasn't even supposed to be alive in this time.

His punches and kicks grew agitated, and Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration. If there was a higher being out there, it seemed to Sasuke as though they loved toying with his life. First, he found out that his entire clan is bound by a curse; second, the said curse was manifested in Sasuke when his whole family was _murdered_ in front of his eyes by his older brother of all people; third, after spending half of his life nurturing this Curse of Hatred and seeking vengeance, he learned the truth behind Itachi's actions and that his brother never stopped loving him all along; and lastly, when he finally came to his senses and Naruto's Will of Fire overcame his Curse of Hatred, he just had to end up nearly a hundred years in the past.

Breathing heavily, he threw himself onto the grass and opened his unbandaged eye. The morning sky was a clear, vibrant blue. Carefree, fluffy white clouds floated past. He paused, catching his breath. Without even turning his head and still staring at the sky, he addressed the carefully concealed presence in the bushes a little ways behind him.

"I know you're there."

The presence faltered, as if hesitating to reveal himself, but the spectator decided it was futile to hide from Sasuke's detection and stepped out.

"How did you know I was there? I was suppressing my signature," Madara, impressed, asked curiously.

"No matter how hard one tries, not one man can completely erase his presence from this world apart from death."

"Oh? But I would say that I even consider myself as a master of controlling my presence."

Sasuke shrugged, and didn't say anything more. Madara twitched in annoyance and decided to investigate Sasuke further.

"Say, you up for a spar? I could use a good workout right about now."

Sasuke sat up and finally looked up at the other man.

"No."

Madara blinked, clearly taken aback. He wasn't expecting a rejection.

"Is it your injuries? Are they not healed yet?"

The perpetual frown on Sasuke's face deepened, and Madara could just _feel_ Sasuke's irritation at the suggestion that he was weak. But Sasuke didn't voice his thoughts. Madara could see that Sasuke was a person careful with words and emotions.

"I'm fine."

"Then why?"

Truth be told, Sasuke wished to interact with Madara and Izuna as little as possible. This was kind of impossible now, now that he had already gotten their attentions, but he thought it was wise not to give them any more information about him than he already had—especially his fighting style. Not to mention, the excruciating pain in his left arm had been tormenting him from the moment he woke up in this world. He refused to show any weakness.

Ignoring Madara's question, Sasuke deftly stood up and made to stalk away. Madara's eyebrows knitted together in annoyance, clearly not used to being snubbed, and decided to make the first move anyway.

Sasuke sensed Madara's attack the millisecond his foot lifted from the ground, and his knees automatically dropped in one fluid motion as he ducked a kick strong enough to have landed a fatal blow. Sasuke's brow twitched and he turned his head to refuse the older male's offer once more, but Madara decided he wasn't finished and swiped another low kick at Sasuke as he crouched on all fours. This time, Sasuke lightly hopped over the limb. He jumped backwards to considerably distance himself.

"I said—"

"It doesn't matter what you say! I want to spar you, so I will!" Madara grinned, and shot forward with a burst of chakra expelling from his feet. It took Sasuke willpower to not slap a palm to his face. He had no other choice but to humor his living ancestor, as much as he didn't want to.

So the spar had turned into somewhat of a test of endurance for Sasuke, dodging Madara's fast and powerful taijutsu left and right and continuing to remain on the defensive.

"Stop dodging and attack me!" Madara demanded, annoyed by the younger Uchiha.

"Tch." So pushy. Fine, if Madara wanted him to attack, then he would. But to make his powers as inconspicuous as possible, he concluded he would have to finish the fight in one decisive blow without using his Sharingan abilities. He wasn't quite sure if Madara had even awakened his Mangekyou yet at this point in time.

Sasuke also kind of wished he had his chokutō with him, but it was whatever.

The two stood in their respective spots for a good twenty seconds, staring each other down. Madara tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Sasuke to attack him. When Sasuke gave no indication that he would, he charged once more headlong to the patient teen.

Madara was very fast, but Sasuke was hailed as one of the, if not _the_ , fastest shinobi of his own generation. His fingers came together in a blur. Madara's eyes automatically bled red, three black commas swirling as he perfectly read the hand seals Sasuke formed. It was all too familiar to him.

 _Hah. The Gōkakyū?_ Such a simple move.

Sasuke released the jutsu from a large exhale without even calling the name of the clan technique. Madara easily sidestepped to the right of the large fireball, but then at that very moment, his vision transitioned from hot orange flames immediately to a blinding electric blue. _So fast_! His arms came up to block this strange lightning attack and was thrown back a few meters. Had there always been Uchiha with an affinity for the lightning element?

The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air, and Madara stood up, examining his singed arms. He could tell Sasuke hadn't put much chakra or power behind the attack. He grinned. _Interesting_!

"How did you know where I was going to be when I evaded your Gōkakyū without activating your Sharingan? It also seemed as if you would have been even faster than how quickly the Sharingan would have predicted my move. Not to mention, I could have easily opted to take cover in the forest."

"I don't need to use the Sharingan for such trivial things," Sasuke dryly replied.

 _What!_ Madara twitched. _That's almost like he's saying he doesn't need his Sharingan to spar me!_

Madara growled, "I'll wipe that condescending attitude right off your—"

"Well, if it isn't Madara!" A booming voice entered the fray, and both Uchihas turned to look at the newcomer who stepped out from the shadows of the trees on the other side of the great river. Sasuke immediately recognized this man, although he looked much livelier, younger, and healthier than the last time he saw his reanimated form from during the war.

The Shōdaime Hokage.

Sasuke resigned to the fact that he couldn't escape encounters with Konoha's most famous historical figures, whether they ended up being commemorated or detested, and let out a sigh.

Hashirama seemed to notice him to, and nodded his head to Sasuke in trepidation.

"Oh? Seems like Otouto-san joined you today." Noticing Sasuke's bandaged left eye, he hesitantly called, "I apologize on behalf of my clan if your injury was due to the battle from last time." He pointed to his own eye in reference. "I came here to reminisce our childhood days, but it seemed like you decided to do the same."

Sasuke could see that Madara was clearly conflicted. On one hand, nostalgic feelings for his childhood best friend had suffused throughout his body, but on the other hand, the clash of their clans and his duty as the next Uchiha leader had kept him at bay from greeting the Senju back. After all, they had just butted heads a couple months ago.

"He's not Izuna. He's another clan member."

Hashirama crossed his arms and his eyes opened in surprise, "The resemblance is uncanny. Do all Uchiha look so similar to each other?"

"I can't believe you're seriously asking this after fighting in countless battles against my clan and _murdering_ hundreds of my clan members! But for the most part, I gue—wait, why are you _really_ here? You can't have possibly come here solely for nostalgic purposes." Madara refused to be sidetracked.

"I mean, it's not like many women from your clan show their face in battle, so it wouldn't hurt ask anyway."

"What? What do Uchiha women have anything to do with this?" Madara demanded.

"I guess that can be counted as evidence that she's _not_ a member of the Uchiha clan," Hashirama muttered to himself, "but we can't discount her from being a spy for them either..." he sighed. "If only Tobirama wasn't so convinced that she's one of the bad guys, I wouldn't have to be the one doing all this roundabout snooping..."

"What are you going on about?" Madara called over the rushing river. He couldn't quite make out Hashirama's self dialogue.

Hashirama ignored his inquiry and seemed focused on his own agenda as he proceeded to ask, "Your clan doesn't happen to be missing a girl about," he pointed to Sasuke, "his age, does it?"

"...No..." Madara slowly enunciated. "Not that I know of. I would know, especially if it's a female clan warrior. There weren't that many to begin with."

"Hm," Hashirama thoughtfully put a finger to his chin, "What about any female healers? Not missing any of those either, right? Particularly from our last encounter two months ago?"

"Look, I don't know why you're asking this, but if you don't want to start another impromptu blood fest, then I suggest you leave before Izuna or your brat of a brother shows up."

"Doesn't seem to be that either. Well, I think I acquired what I came to look for!" Hashirama smiled. Madara always gave him a chance to go instead of attacking him immediately, unlike his younger brother. In that respect, Hashirama still held pure hope for making peace with the Uchiha. When it came time for both of them to take leadership of their respective clans, Hashirama vowed to bring up the idea of a ceasefire and an eventual treaty once more.

He turned around, ready to leave the two Uchiha to their own devices again but tilted his head back as an afterthought.

"Oh and one more thing—try to be a little bit nicer to your surroundings would you?" As Hashirama walked away, the charred area affected by Sasuke's fireball technique rumbled slightly, and pristine new trees and grass sprouted and shot up in place of the scorched. Sasuke's eyebrow arched, impressed.

"Tch. Show off," Madara grumbled. "What was that all about anyway? I swear he's always off in a world of his own..."

Sasuke gave a dispassionate shrug and retreated back into the woods himself.

"Hey! We weren't done!"

* * *

"You really shouldn't be moving around this much," Izuna commented, already sitting in seiza and sipping freshly brewed tea as Sasuke re-entered his temporary abode.

 _And here's the other one_ , Sasuke mentally resigned.

"...and I'm telling you, next time spar me with everything you got! Or else—oh, Izuna! Where have you been?" Madara sauntered into the cabin.

"Here," he simply replied. "I didn't think he would be up and about already," he said, referring to Sasuke.

"If you all wouldn't mind, I would like to be left alone to rest," Sasuke bit out in an uninviting tone. Izuna frowned and set down his traditional teacup, and Madara walked over to his brother's side.

"I didn't only come here to check up on you, Sasuke."

Sasuke glanced at him and waited for him to continue.

"Otou-sama wishes to see you tomorrow morning."

The person Izuna was referring to... Uchiha Tajima. The infamous Uchiha clan head of this era. If there was anything Sasuke knew about his clan's history, it was that Uchiha Tajima was hailed as one of the most profound leaders for being able to repeatedly clash with the Senju but never relinquishing their position as a powerhouse to them.

This period of time was primeval. This period of time was a survival of the fittest. During an era where even children were mercilessly slaughtered in battle, Uchiha Tajima had risen beyond this and had been able to maintain leadership.

And it was this very person who requested Sasuke's presence.

Sasuke fully understood it was the duty of the head of the clan to count and keep track of all his members, no matter how large that number may be. After all, he had once been the son of one. He knew he couldn't evade the question of his random appearance in this world forever. Tajima had probably already realized since Sasuke had been found that he was a stranger to this clan, someone that he couldn't recognize.

It seemed like after two months, the man had finally decided to call him in. Most likely for an interrogation.

"Well?" Izuna prompted, waiting for Sasuke's reply.

"Ah."

"I'm sure you know where the main compound is. He'll be there; he always is."

Sasuke mutely nodded.

"Before I leave, I wanted to ask if your injuries were healing alright and if you've managed to recover any of your memories."

"...I'm fine," Sasuke said, choosing to ignore the second question altogether.

Izuna sighed and gracefully stood up, not pressing him any further. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. It seemed as if Tajima hadn't disclosed his suspicions about Sasuke to anybody, not even to his own sons.

Madara followed his brother out the door, but not before turning his head to glance at Sasuke one last time. Sasuke sat lost in thought with his arm extended on his right knee and left leg outstretched. There was something off about this boy who seemingly came out of nowhere and grabbed their attentions. He wondered why his father was seeking him out. He would find out tomorrow.

Sasuke spent the rest of the day in meditation, partly to curb the pain in his left arm to a dull throb and partly to mentally and spiritually prepare himself for his encounter tomorrow.

The next morning, he stepped foot for the first time in the main Uchiha compound. His childhood home was oddly reminiscent of the style, set-up, and decor of this place, and unpleasant feelings rolled through him in waves.

A household servant guided him through the winding hallways toward a room emitting a foreboding aura.

"Tajima-sama. Uchiha Sasuke is here to speak with you," She lightly called out, voice quivering slightly.

"Enter."

The servant knelt down, sliding open the shoji meticulously in the traditional method. Sasuke took a step into the room, taking great care to keep his eye trained on the ground. He stood in anticipation in front of the esteemed Uchiha.

"Sit," Tajima ordered, and Sasuke complied, kneeling down onto the tatami.

"Look at me."

Hesitating for one second, Sasuke shifted his gaze to look at Tajima's face.

And his eye met with a spinning Sharingan.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I was originally going to tell you all my whole life story and what went on in my life these past two months, but I decided to save it. I'm healthy now, and that's all that matters. I also turned twenty last month! Feels weird not being a teen anymore.

Chapter two of Sakura and the Lost Princess is also currently a work in progress.

I won't abandon my stories. Constructive criticism and comments are welcome.


	7. A New Friend

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Tobirama shot up gasping for air. Frantically, he whirled his head from side to side, disoriented, the world a blur. Two dainty, yet firm hands gripped his arms, forcing him to sit still. Still hyperventilating, Tobirama tried to focus on the person before him.

"Easy there. Do you recognize me?" The feminine voice spoke slowly and clearly.

Clasping onto one of her wrists, Tobirama's blurry vision cleared as he squinted hard at the face directly in front of him. Taking in the woman's milky porcelain skin, knitted and worried pink eyebrows, and sparkling pale-green eyes, Tobirama's senses finally calibrated as he remembered what just happened.

"Where am I?" He suddenly breathed, whipping his head around his surroundings.

"The infirmary," Sakura replied.

"It... it worked! This is..!" This is revolutionary! Ground-breaking! Ingenious! Tobirama couldn't even begin to imagine the inexplicable number of ways this new technique could assist the Senju in fighting the Uchiha. Still grasping Sakura's wrist, he tried prying off the woman's grip from his shoulder. He needed to practice this new move, in order to perfect its use and maximize its efficiency—

"You're not going anywhere. Your chakra is thoroughly exhausted." Sakura's hold on his opposite shoulder tightened, and Tobirama winced. Just how strong was this woman again?

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"I know my body better than anyone, woman."

Sakura raised a skeptical eyebrow. Suddenly, fatigue washed over Tobirama's body as the strain of performing his jutsu caught up to him. If he didn't notice before, he noticed now that his muscles were screaming in aching spasms and his eyes were heavy as his body was shutting down into a lethargic mode with the adrenaline from his rouse dissipating.

"...Fine. Perhaps I'll rest for a little while."

At that, Sakura handed him a full glass of water, which he took and gulped in one take. He didn't realize how thirsty he was. Taking the empty glass and placing it on the small table beside the bed he was occupying, Sakura lowered him back onto the fluffy pillow. Tobirama just noticed that he was changed out of his training garments into a simple cotton shirt and pants supplied by the infirmary.

Sakura checked his temperature by placing a hand on his forehead. Her palm was cool to the touch, and as much as Tobirama hated to admit, it felt nice, reassuring, and kind of nostalgic. It reminded him of when his mother used to do the same when he was but a small child, before she had passed due to illness.

"So. What was that?" Sakura finally asked, determining it the most appropriate time to ask what had been on her mind since Tobirama magically appeared out of nowhere during her teaching session with Hashirama.

Tobirama glanced at her without moving his head.

"I... I had been working on this jutsu for years. I first conceived the idea when I was thirteen, after observing the Uzumaki clan's extensive use of seals quite a few times. The war between the Senju and the Uchiha had begun to escalate at this point, and there was one distinctive battle I will never forget, where the blood of too many of my kin were shed. I hate to admit it, but the Uchiha's defenses were impenetrable. If there was only a way to easily and quickly take down their troops... then I thought, what if I were to use a seal to somehow transport myself from one point to the other? At this point, I didn't know how the logistics would work out. But learning about seals, I realized that seals provide access to completely new dimensions, which is how sealing objects normally works."

"So, the idea is that you open an access point to a dimensional void, enter that dimension, and exit through another access point," Sakura supplied in awe.

Tobirama smirked, refusing to openly acknowledge Sakura's fast-working brain.

"Without any limit regarding to distance," he added, feeling the need to show off a little.

"That's incredible!" Sakura has seen Naruto's father use this exact technique only a handful of times during the Fourth Shinobi World War. But to her, it always seemed like an extremely fast shunshin; she had no idea he was actually _teleportin_ _g_ , or as close to teleporting as a human can possibly get. She found a new reverence for the Yondaime Hokage, and an even more profound respect for the future Nidaime, who was lying before her at this very moment.

"There are two catches so far," Tobirama mused more to himself than to Sakura, "one is that I need to place the seals onto the locations I wish to transport myself to beforehand, and the other is that the longer the distance, the more chakra that is drained."

Sakura put a thoughtful finger to her chin.

"Hm... perhaps with control training, the distance won't be an issue. Theoretically, the distance between your starting point and ending point shouldn't have an impact on your chakra usage, since you're activating the exit point seal from the other dimension."

"Which is what I thought."

A wave of thoughtful silence passed over them, and Sakura snapped out of her reverie.

"Well, in any case, I'll leave you to get some rest."

"..."

"But I do have to say, I'm very happy that you confided in me. I'd say you're starting to trust me a little bit more," Sakura smiled gently. A light pink dusted across Tobirama's cheeks in embarrassment

"D-Don't think I don't think you're conspiring with the Uchiha anymore! It's just... you've been a great deal of help to our clan members lately and you're even showing Anija your techniques. It's hard to think a real enemy would do that."

Sakura laughed, "It only makes sense that you're cautious, Tobirama, when your older brother is so overly trusting of people. I would do the same thing as you're doing now, if I were in your position."

She stood up from the chair she was sitting on beside his temporary wooden bed. She began to turn toward the door but hesitated. Looking back down at him she opened her mouth slightly and paused, as if unsure if she should say what was about to come out of her mouth. Tobirama's red eyes narrowed inquisitively, silently urging her to go on.

"It's just... I think we started off on a bad foot, and I kind of just wanted to start over, hoping we can truly become friends." Sakura slowly held out her hand, "Hi. My name is Sakura. Not 'Woman,' not 'Girl,' not anything else. Just Sakura. It's nice to meet you."

Tobirama blinked.

He would have laughed at how absurd this situation was, but he before he realized what his body was doing, before he could slap away her ridiculous hand, he found himself reaching up with his own hand and grasping Sakura's. Perhaps a part of him wanted to get to know this mysterious, strong, powerful woman before him, perhaps a part of him felt guilty for pinning nonsensical accusations onto her.

He scoffed, averting his eyes.

Sakura grinned.

* * *

Ever since Sakura's "truce" with Tobirama, life began to settle into a daily routine on Senju grounds. There hadn't been any signs of any Uchihas planning any attacks ever since Sakura was found by the Senju—both sides must have sustained huge blows in terms of forces and supplies and were laying low until they could replenish both.

At one point, Hashirama claimed he went on a "reconnaissance mission" and reported that the Uchiha were not missing any female clan members or allies, strengthening Sakura's position as someone unrelated to the Uchiha clan. Sakura noticed that Hashirama was being shifty about the whole thing, but decided not to comment since his statement only served to help her case. Tobirama also began to relax around her a little more after hearing this.

By this time, word had gotten out about Sakura's proficiency in healing, and soon enough, Sakura's status in the Senju settlement rapidly escalated to that of a celebrity, much to her chagrin. Not long after, people from all over the settlement (the Senju clan was huge, nearly the size of a small village) with ailments of varying degrees began paying her visits, hoping she'd be able to heal them or prolong their lives a little longer.

Since money wasn't even a concept in this time; after all, a self-sustaining village had its villagers live off of bartering rather than trading money for goods, Sakura received a lot of rice, food, and other materials for her services. Initally, Sakura refused, as she was just happy to help, but her visitors insisted. So Sakura only kept a bare minimum and gave the rest to those who needed it more than her. She visited the local orphanage more often than not, getting to know those who lost their parents in the ongoing war and donating her excess food and materials. Pretty soon, the children looked up to her as an older sister figure and couldn't wait for the days she visited just to play with them.

A good two months had passed since Sakura's arrival at the Senju settlement. Finally, _finally_ , it felt like Sakura was starting to get used to a normal life.

Of course, this would never be Sakura's _real_ life; Sakura's real life would always be as the daughter of Haruno Kizashi and Haruno Mebuki. A member of Team 7 under the tutelage of Hatake Kakashi, teammates to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. A law-abiding citizen and shinobi of Konohagakure. The sole student of Senju Tsunade. A key contributor to the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Sakura would never forget her true identity, even if she'd never be able to talk about it with anyone around her. The Sakura of her past (or would it be future?) life was what shaped Sakura to be the Sakura she was today. Sakura would always remember this.

So even if this life wasn't her real life, Sakura would still live it and bear with it, to ensure that her future self gets the opportunity to do what Sakura herself couldn't. So in order for that to happen, Sakura still needed to make sure that nothing too drastic was changed in this time. At the very least, she needed to make sure Hashirama and Uchiha Madara found some sort of peace with each other, enough to create the village of Konoha. Because without Konoha, there would be no future.

But _how_? What could a mere girl like her do that wouldn't cause the butterfly effect to spiral out of control? Was there really nothing she could do? Perhaps it was better for her to sit back and let things unfold without conscious interference. Was she really supposed to continue on with this life, a life that she felt completely fake in, and just live the rest of her days becoming old and crippled in this time?

Sakura supposed that was all she could do for now, until she heard any news about the Uchiha. She sighed. If only there she had a comrade, a _friend_ , who would understand and listen to her burdens. But this time, she didn't have a Naruto to complain to. To laugh with. To cry with.

 _I miss you, best friend._

"Nee-chan? Are you okay?" A tiny pale blonde child tugged at Sakura's leg and looked up at her with her big chocolate brown eyes. Sakura almost gushed at the child's cuteness.

"Yes, I'm quite alright. Now where were we? This monster is gonna get you! Roar!" Sakura clawed both of her hands and chased the big group of orphan children around the orphanage's big yard.

"You're too slow! Hah!" One of the children called out. Sakura smirked.

"Oh, am I now?" And she pounced like a feral cat, right on top of the child, rolling on the grass and tickling him. He giggled and screamed at the same time.

"AAH! I—HAHA—I take that—HAHA I take that back! HAHAHA, please! HAHA—please stop!" And Sakura let go, laughing at the child, who gleefully ran away. Sitting up, Sakura suddenly saw a flash of white in her peripheral vision and a gush of wind as Tobirama materialized right next to her. The orphan children screamed in surprise and scattered away once they realized it was just heir clan heir.

"What the—, did you put a seal on me when I wasn't looking?" Sakura demanded. Tobirama nonchalantly shrugged.

"That is a _total_ invasion of my privacy, ugh."

"It's for security purposes."

"Security purp— oh you have _got_ to be kidding me." Sakura resigned with a sigh, "So? What do you want?"

"Notice anything different?"

Sakura tilted her head thoughtfully. Tobirama just appeared to her using his new jutsu... oh!

"You're not even the slightest bit out of breath this time!" Sakura exclaimed. Tobirama smirked.

"I finally realized why I was using an impractical amount of chakra every time I used this jutsu. My seal wasn't written to accommodate for chakra efficiency; I figured out a way to write another layer to the seal to require only the minimum amount of chakra needed to activate each seal."

"Oh thank goodness, I was worried you'd knock yourself out every single time you used this jutsu even once!"

"I still think this jutsu is far from perfect, but it's getting there, don't you think?"

Sakura coughed, "Alright, Mr. Show-Off, you're amazing. That's what you wanted to hear right?"

Tobirama ignored the jab.

"I was wondering what to call this jutsu. I thought maybe you'd give me some good ideas."

"I don't know, what about 'Teleportation Jutsu?' It's pretty literal."

"Don't be stupid."

"How is that stupid? It's practical."

"This jutsu is not going to be called the 'Teleportation Jutsu.'"

"Whatever you say."

But Sakura already knew the name of this technique. The real question was: how was she supposed to get the idea of the name into Tobirama's head?

Sakura treaded slowly, "Well... your hair does make you look like a flash of lightning when you perform this jutsu. What about something like _Hiraiden_? Flying Thunder and Lightning?"

Tobirama paused, thinking carefully.

"I like where this is going..." He closed his eyes for a few moments. Sakura simply stared. Did this man always take such a long time to come up with the names of his techniques?"

He snapped his fingers, "I got it! Because this is a god-level technique and I am a god-level shinobi, I shall hereby name this jutsu, the _Hiraishin_ , the Flying Thunder God."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You _cannot_ just call yourself a god-level shinobi."

"I can if it's true." Tobirama stood up, ready to leave. He looked down at Sakura, "Thanks, Sakura. For your help."

Sakura blinked. This was the first time she'd ever heard him call her by her name.

"Did you just ca—" before Sakura could finish this question, however, Hashirama flickered into existence behind the two from a shunshin.

"Father asked me to find you."

Sakura whipped her head around at the newcomer and looked at him inquisitively.

Tobirama's face also mimicked hers.

"The Uzumaki Clan. They're in trouble."

* * *

Without any further inquiry, Sakura raced back to the main compound with Hashirama and Tobirama, to Butsuma's room. He sat writing calmly in a scroll. Hashirama walked next to his father and sat in seiza, tense. A hawk preened itself at the open shoji door, where the tatami floor met the wooden walkway, spilling out to the garden outside.

"Butsuma-sama, you've called for me," Sakura said, slightly out of breath.

"Sakura. I have called you because I am in need of your abilities." Butsuma set his brush down and looked at Sakura in the eyes.

"Our closest allies, the Uzumakis, have been afflicted with an unknown disease. Whatever this disease is, it's eating away at their bodies and their life-force. The Uzumaki clan is closely tied to us, even by blood, dating back to the same ancestor. As the head of the Senju, I vowed to help out our kin in any way possible. As you know, the Uzumaki Clan has always been there to assist us, no matter the situation. Sakura, please, I am lowering my head. Please, help our brethren."

Sakura's breath got caught in her throat and her eyes softened, as she would have never in her life imagined the head of the prestigious clan bowing to her to ask her of a favor.

"Butsuma-sama. Regardless of my relationship with the person, I will always try to help a person who needs it, if I am able to. So please, raise your head. I will do my best to assess the situation and see if there's anything I can do to help."

Butsuma breathed out, whether of relief or anxiety, Sakura couldn't tell. But he wasn't the only one worried about their close allies. Hashirama took this as an opportunity to ask about the situation.

"Father, are... are a lot of the clan-members affected?"

Butsuma considered this question, and immediately knew what Hashirama was attempting to find out.

"Hashirama, you needn't worry about Uzumaki Mito. She is one of the few unaffected by the disease. But the disease seems to have progressed greatly for Ashina, the head of the clan. I am gravely worried for my old friend."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. Of course! How could she forget! Senju Hashirama and Uzumaki Mito were supposed to marry sometime before the founding of Konoha! And if Sakura remembered her history books correctly, both Hashirama and Uzumaki Ashina were present at the creation of each others' villages.

It wasn't Uzumaki Ashina's time to die yet.

Sakura would make sure of it.

* * *

 **Author's Note** **:** Had some time during my spring break to write! Take a visit to my profile, you'll understand why my updates are so spaced out.

Soooo y'all think that this disease afflicting the Uzumaki Clan due to the Butterfly Effect of Sakura's presence in this timeline? Who knows, I don't even know~

And aw, Sakura and Tobirama are starting to become friends :)

FINALLY, Sakura's story has caught up to the same time as Sasuke's! We'll hopefully be seeing them meet soon?


End file.
